The ED as an at home amp? Also - comparison to Express 5:25

I was wondering what your results have been running the Electra Dyne as an at home amp. I am not a gigging musician - I play soley at home for my own enjoyment. I need to keep the volume down to reasonable levels and was wondering what other ED owners think about their tone at lower levels. I have an Express 5:25 12" that I can take back to GC for a full refund and apply towards the 12" ED combo. They do not have one in stock for me to try so I thought I would see what opinions are out there - especially compared to the Express. Thanks in advance.

kfinkel1966 said:

I was wondering what your results have been running the Electra Dyne as an at home amp. I am not a gigging musician - I play soley at home for my own enjoyment. I need to keep the volume down to reasonable levels and was wondering what other ED owners think about their tone at lower levels. I have an Express 5:25 12" that I can take back to GC for a full refund and apply towards the 12" ED combo. They do not have one in stock for me to try so I thought I would see what opinions are out there - especially compared to the Express. Thanks in advance.

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I am strictly an at-homer as well. It is perfect. If you can get into one, DO IT. You will not regret that choice.

I cannot believe how good this thing sounds - even at BR volumes.

I will watch this thread, post when you get the ED home and let us know what you think.

I've been wondering that myself. The Mark V is pretty **** loud!

I'm strictly a home player as well.

I love it. Atleast with the pots on mine the volume jump is pretty big so when the wife and daughter are home I use the master volume on my digitech RP250 which I have in the loop to keep the volume down.

Semi cranked it once putting the master at midnight and couldn't bear to be in the same room with it.

It does sound better louder. But it sounds better then any small amp I have heard at low volume.

Express has great cleans. But it won't touch the ED in the overdrive channel department.

kfinkel1966 said:

I was wondering what your results have been running the Electra Dyne as an at home amp. I am not a gigging musician - I play soley at home for my own enjoyment. I need to keep the volume down to reasonable levels and was wondering what other ED owners think about their tone at lower levels. I have an Express 5:25 12" that I can take back to GC for a full refund and apply towards the 12" ED combo. They do not have one in stock for me to try so I thought I would see what opinions are out there - especially compared to the Express. Thanks in advance.

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Setting aside the issue of the best tone out of the amp at various volume levels, the amp IS quiet enough even in 90w mode to use at home. I play quite a bit after everybody has gone to bed, and the amp is effectively silent enough even on vintage hi to be used in a home environment.

I am stoked - I go tomorrow to pickup the ED 1/12 combo. Say what you will about GC, but they are true to their word with the 30 day money-back guarantee. I just prefer not to take any of their floor models - new in box please! Anyway - the ED will end up only costing me another 400 bucks after trading in the Express 5:25 1/12. Money well spent in my book.

kfinkel1966 said:

I am stoked - I go tomorrow to pickup the ED 1/12 combo. Say what you will about GC, but they are true to their word with the 30 day money-back guarantee. I just prefer not to take any of their floor models - new in box please! Anyway - the ED will end up only costing me another 400 bucks after trading in the Express 5:25 1/12. Money well spent in my book.

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Oh crap yes! Let us know what you think after you get it home and give it a run...

I went at lunch and picked it up. I played through it again while at Guitar Center - what amazing tone. Even at low volume!! I have to be at work for another 2 hours - UGH... The Express is not in the same league as this thing. Even the guy at GC said the Electra Dyne would be the one amp he would pick out of all the ones they have. I will post again after tomorrow after putting it through its paces tonight. I feel like a kid on Christmas morning!

The is is the last amp I will ever need - it is that good. I am calling in sick so I can stay home and play it all day. Every guitar retains it character through it. This thing loves single coils, P-90's and humbuckers. I love how well it responds to my playing too!

kfinkel1966 said:

The is is the last amp I will ever need

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That's my feeling exactly!

kfinkel1966 said:

The is is the last amp I will ever need - it is that good. I am calling in sick so I can stay home and play it all day. Every guitar retains it character through it. This thing loves single coils, P-90's and humbuckers. I love how well it responds to my playing too!

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Imagine a long arm with a huge index finger pointing at you with a person standing behind it yelling out "I TOLD YOU SO!"

(That is me)

You guys are killing me. I knew after playing it for 30 minutes that I would have one sooner or later. It came sooner. I sold some stuff and placed my order yesterday for a 2 X 12. I'm tempted to start walking to Petaluma and pick it up so I don't have to wait 6 to 10 weeks for it to arrive, lol.

Scary said:

The Mark V is pretty **** loud!

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+1 Even on the 10 watt setting.....it is freaking loud :shock: But I love the tones :mrgreen:

I called in sick again today - I have not played guitar this much since Regan was President. It just sounds too good to stop. I shudder to think how heavy the 2X12 must be (or how good it sounds) The 1X12 is big and heavy. My music room is on the 3rd floor of my townhouse and getting it up those stairs was no joke. I normally have had to re-tube my Boogies but this one does not seem to need it. Has anyone replaced their stock tubes? If so, did it make it even better?

kfinkel1966 said:

I called in sick again today - I have not played guitar this much since Regan was President. It just sounds too good to stop. I shudder to think how heavy the 2X12 must be (or how good it sounds) The 1X12 is big and heavy. My music room is on the 3rd floor of my townhouse and getting it up those stairs was no joke. I normally have had to re-tube my Boogies but this one does not seem to need it. Has anyone replaced their stock tubes? If so, did it make it even better?

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No. For the exact same reason I never needed to have my wife get a boob job... I prefer her "stock"

I love the "it's the only amp I'll ever need comment" :wink: . If I had a dime for every time I said that about a piece of equipment I'd be rich. GAS rules in the end. But in the meantime, enjoy that great amp!

When I stop searching for better tone I'll be taking a dirt nap.

Jmango said:

kfinkel1966 said:

I called in sick again today - I have not played guitar this much since Regan was President. It just sounds too good to stop. I shudder to think how heavy the 2X12 must be (or how good it sounds) The 1X12 is big and heavy. My music room is on the 3rd floor of my townhouse and getting it up those stairs was no joke. I normally have had to re-tube my Boogies but this one does not seem to need it. Has anyone replaced their stock tubes? If so, did it make it even better?

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No. For the exact same reason I never needed to have my wife get a boob job... I prefer her "stock"

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I re-tubed the front end and gain channels with SPAX-7a's. Very quite tube with excellent gain performance. I tried the EL-34 STR-450's in the power section and found that I preferred the 6L6's. My bet is that Mesa is running the ED 6l6's hotter than other amp models...

I'll stay clear of the wife modification thread

I laughed out loud reading the previous post regarding GAS. I think I may have said that about a few other pieces of gear I have owned over the years When I picked up the ED, I also picked up a Blackstar HT-Dual. When I want more gain than the ED has on tap, I kick that thing on and BOOM. I can get all the gain I need at any volume. I called in again today - I just can't stop playing along with my CD collection. AC/DC - check. Dokken - check. Vandenberg - check. I can get so close to the guitar sounds on those records it is hard to tell them apart. I suppose the ED would have a hard time doing the new metal sounds - but that is not my scene anyway. However, if you want something to take you from the 60's through the 90's - the ED is all over it.